Featured Researcher - Pat Wells

Pat Wells is a PhD candidate who was a high school science teacher for 28 years. His retirement resulted in a refreshing change of teaching context, increased gratifying outreach work, and stimulated collaborative research experiences. Pat's PhD supervisor is Dr. Karen Goodnough. Other supervisory members are Dr. Saiqa Azam and Dr. Gerald Galway. 

Conducting teacher research during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for Pat and the collaborators. The ethics approval from the NLESD was stringent, and he feels blessed he was able to collect the data that so far has resulted in two publications; a book chapter on lesson study that focuses on pandemic teacher professional learning and a journal article that examined the remote lesson taught by the CDLI teachers (listed below). A third publication is in the works: an activity theory analysis that examines the teachers’ lesson development or “ontogeny.” While challenging, Pat believes reporting these teachers’ efforts was a privilege. With multiple theoretical perspectives, the resulting thesis reduces the waiting to publish while requiring a student to read broadly. He feels this process has increased his confidence as he applies for jobs and continues to write. 

Pat highly recommends the MUN doctoral program to any teacher interested in continued learning and is indebted to his instructors and supervisory committee. With their assistance, he received several scholarships and awards, including the National Science Teachers’ Association Vernier Technology Award (2019), a 2020 teaching project was awarded the CNIE-RCIE Award of Excellence in Technology (K-12), and most recently, he received the Ms. Carole Solberg and Dr. John Hoddinott Graduate Teaching Award (2022). Along with the Memorial Graduate fellowship, Pat has received the Dr. Austin J, Harte Memorial Scholarship, the Canadian College of Teachers Scholarship (twice), an NLTA Study Award Scholarship, and the Dr. Kate Bride Memorial Scholarship. In March 2023 Pat received the NLTA Barnes Award.  

Pat’s plans include research on science students' learning challenges, such as misconceptions about climate change and students’ misunderstanding of local habitats and the ocean.

Publications:

Wells, P., Goodnough, K., Galway, G., & Azam, S. (2022). Remote Science Inquiry Instruction (RSII) for Motion on an Inclined Plane. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education/Revue internationale du e-learning et la formation à distance, 37(2). https://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/1260

Wells, P., Goodnough, K., Azam, S., & Galway, G. (2023 - in press). Changes in high school distance education science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) during remote lesson study, In, R. Huang, N. Helgevold, J. Lang, & H. Jiang (Eds.), Teacher Professional Learning through Lesson Study in Virtual and Hybrid Environments.

Awards:

NLTA Barnes Award (2023)

Ms. Carole Solberg and Dr. John Hoddinott Graduate Teaching Award (2022)

National Science Teachers’ Association Vernier Technology Award (2019)

CNIE-RCIE Award of Excellence in Technology (K-12)

Dr. Austin J, Harte Memorial Scholarship,

Canadian College of Teachers Scholarship

NLTA Study Award Scholarship

Dr. Kate Bride Memorial Scholarship